Pony Tail Wrap

ABSTRACT

A ponytail wrapping device for covering and disguising any elastic hair band used to generate a ponytail on a person&#39;s hair and includes a device having a length of hair disposed between two insertion pins such that the insertion pins can be inserted into the person&#39;s hair and then wrapped around the elastic hair band used such that the ponytail wrap covers and conceals the holding device to result in a more aesthetically pleasing hair style.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to field of hair styling products and more specifically to a ponytail wrapping device the can be used to cover and disguise the elastic device used to contain a person's hair into the shape of a ponytail.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

There a re a wide range of popular styles into which a person's hair can be formed. One of the most popular styles is a ponytail. In forming a person's hair into the shape of a ponytail, the person's hair is generally smoothed toward the back of the person's head and gathered together. The gathering includes the bunching of the hair together near the central area of the back of the head and several inches from the tip of the bunched hair. The end of the hair is passed through an opening in an elastic device to allow the hair to drape toward the person's back and shoulders. The elastic device is retained on the hair to maintain the bunched portion of the hair. The end result generally simulates an arrangement of the hair that is reminiscent of a pony's tail, thereby giving this particular hair style the nick name, ponytail.

The ponytail is a very popularity hair style because is can be easily generated and the overall appearance is usually flattering to the person wearing a ponytail. However, the ponytail has one drawback in that the hair must be held in the bunched condition to sustain the ponytail appearance and the currently used devices are usually a ring-shaped elastic device through which the hair is passed to form the ponytail.

In past attempts to resolve these issues, there have been a number of attempts to create an attractive elastic device to perform that function, the results thus far have been less than totally pleasing. For example, it seems the first elastic device was a simple rubber band and, when placed in the hair to from a ponytail, the rubber band lacked any real aesthetic value. There have been later improvements to the rubber band in which the simple rubber band was replaced with fabric coated elastic devices. The fabric did enhance the appearance of the ponytail device, but those improved devices still displayed a mechanical device that was placed into the hair to from the ponytail.

In yet other efforts to prevent the elastic device from showing, individuals have attempted to use their own hair, still connected to the individual's scalp, to cover the elastic band by gathering some of their hair and wrapping it around the elastic device to hide it. When this method is used, however, the hair that is used for this function easily unravels to reveal the elastic device. Sometimes, hair pins are used to hold the end of the hair that has been wrapped around the elastic device, but the sharp ends of the hair pins are usually uncomfortable and even painful to the individual. Finally, the overall appearance of the individual's ponytail is compromised when this method is used because the use of the individual's hair naturally results in a reduction of the total volume of the individual's hair thus the ponytail less attractive.

Thus, it is clear that a very significant problem exists and that there is a need for an improved ponytail device where the results are much more attractive than the elastic devices used in the past.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.

In accordance with the various embodiments of the present invention, this invention relates to a ponytail wrapping device that can be installed onto a person's hair. More specifically, certain embodiments of the invention provide an aesthetically pleasing wrapping device that be wrapped around the elastic device used to retain the person's hair into a bunch that generates the ponytail appearance.

Most embodiments of the present invention are not intended to simply hold the hair in place because that holding function is normally fulfilled by the elastic device. Instead, a function of preferred embodiments of the present invention is to conceal the elastic device to create the illusion that the individual's own hair has been used to wrap the ponytail. Because none of the individual's own hair (from their head) is excluded from the ponytail itself, various embodiments of the invention create a neater, dressier look, while also maintaining a ponytail having the fullest natural volume possible.

Certain embodiment of the invention eliminate the tedious and usually unsuccessful job or blindly isolating some of the hair, keeping it neat and straight while at the same time forming a ponytail, securing the hair with an elastic band, and then blindly wrapping the selected strands of hair around the elastic bands and securing it with an ordinary hair pin. Even when this complex series of steps occurs, the user may still be concerned that the pony tail wrapping is done neatly and that the elastic band and hair pin do not show. In fact, the general complexity required to execute that particular method of wrapping a pony tail is so tedious and prone to failure that the user generally resorts to having the pony tail wrapped by a beauty salon or other hair stylist and even then the process is still time consuming while also being costly.

Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

DRAWINGS

In the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of one of the retention pins of one embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a ponytail that has been generated through the use of an elastic ring that holds the hair bunched together to result in the ponytail appearance.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the first step in installing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the second step in installing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the third step in installing one embodiment of the present invention.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

While one embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the above referenced drawings and in the following description, it is understood that the embodiment shown is merely one example of a single preferred embodiment offered for the purpose of illustration only and that various changes in construction may be resorted to in the course of manufacture in order that the present invention may be utilized to the best advantage according to circumstances which may arise, without in any way departing from the spirit and intention of the present invention, which is to be limited only in accordance with the claims contained herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AT LEAST ONE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, methods, in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that these specific details need not be employed, and should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In the development of any actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints. Such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but is nevertheless a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill.

Turning now to the drawings at FIGS. 1-5, a preferred embodiment of a Pony Tail Wrap A is shown. In certain preferred embodiments of the present invention, FIG. 1 discloses a Pony Tail Wrap A that includes a retention pin 1, a hair segment 2, a wire retainer 3, and adhesive 4.

The retention pin 1 in the present embodiment has the dimensions as shown in FIG. 1A and includes a hair retention portion 5, a pin element 6, and a hair retention opening 7. One purpose of the retention pin 1 is to hold the individual strands of the hair segment 2 together and to install the Pony Tail Wrap A into the user's hair by insertion of the retention pin 1 into the user's hair.

In the present embodiment the overall length of the retention pin 1 is about 44 mm in length, however, it will be appreciated that the length of the retention pin any of any length as long as the length selected promotes the ability for insertion of the retention pin into the hair of the user to retain the retention pin during normal use of the Pony Tail Wrap A. Similarly, the other dimensions disclosed in FIG. 1A may also be adjusted to fit the particular application in which the Pony Tail Wrap A is to be used as long as the design of the retention pin 1 allows the hair segment 2 to be installed onto or into the retention pin and also provide some type of pin element 6 that can be installed into the hair of the user. It is also understood that the dimensional ratios and proportions as shown in FIG. 1A may adjusted as necessary to fit any specific application. In one preferred embodiment, the pin element 6 has a length of between about 20 mm and about 40 mm. The retention pin 1 may be made of any sufficiently rigid material as long as the material selected will properly bond with the selected adhesive 4, the hair segment 2, and the retention pin itself. In certain preferred embodiment, the retention pin 1 is constructed of an injection molded plastic material.

In the present embodiment, the hair segment 2 is made from human hair. It will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, however, that other materials may also be used and remain within the intended scope of the present invention. For example, modern technology can produce synthetic materials that come very close to resembling real human hair. To the extent that such synthetic hair is acceptable to a user, synthetic hair of any type of material may used for the hair segment 2 and still remain within the intended scope of the claims of the present invention.

The hair segment 2 of the present embodiment invention has an overall length of about 18 inches. It is understood that, depending upon the particular application, the overall length of the hair segment may be of any length as long as the length selected fulfills the needs of the particular application being filled. In most of the preferred embodiments of the present invention, the overall length of the hair segment will be between about 18 inches and about 24 inches in length. When the hair segment 2 is made from real human hair, it is preferred that the human hair be selected for best quality while checking for good hair texture as well as good surface quality and strength. When the hair segment 2 is made from a synthetic hair, the synthetic hair should also be selected for high quality including checking for proper texture, good surface quality, strength, and similarity of the general appearance of the synthetic hair to real human hair.

When the hair segment 2 is made from real human hair, certain preferred embodiments require that the human hair be cleaned and bleached to remove any debris from the human hair and to remove the natural color of the human hair. The hair can then be dyed to any preferred color through the use of any widely available hair dye or coloring ingredient. It will be appreciated that the Pony Tail Wrap A can be made to include hair segments 2 to be dyed in a wide range of colors and tints so that any customer and final user of the Pony Tail Wrap will be able to match the color of the Pony Tail Wrap to the hair color of the user. For example, the Pony Tail Wrap A can be dyed to specific shades of black, brown, blond, or red. It is understood that when the air segment 2 is made from synthetic hair, the hair segment is also colored to match the hair color of the user and can also include specific shades of black, brown, blond, or red.

The Pony Tail Wrap A is generally assembled by placing a sufficient amount of an adhesive 4 into the retention opening 7 of the retention pin 1. In alternative embodiments, the adhesive may also be placed on the ends 2A of the hair segment 2. Any non-toxic adhesive may be used as the adhesive 4 as long as the adhesive selected is bondable to the material used for the retention pin 1 and the material used for the hair segment 2. In certain embodiments, the adhesive 4 may also be resistant to water.

Before the hair segment 2 is inserted into the retention opening 7 of the retention pin 1, two ends 2A of the hair segment are tightly wound and then bound by a retainer wire 3. In the present embodiment, the retainer wire 3 is made from a non-toxic metal wire and has a fine diameter to allow the retainer wire to be wrapped around the ends 2A of the hair segment 2 sufficiently to retain the hair strands compactly while at the same time not resulting in the wound wire having a diameter that is bulky, inconsistently shaped, or too large to fit within the hair retention opening 7 of the retention pin 1. In certain embodiments, keeping the retainer wire 3 wound tightly can include wrapping the retainer wire similar into a shape similar to that of a spring where each wound portion of the retainer wire is positioned to be adjacent to and in contact with the portion of the retainer wire that was just wound. This process generally results in a binding of the strands of the hair segment 2 by the retainer wire 3 without resulting in the wound retainer wire having an excessively large diameter when placed around the hair segment. It is understood that the diameter of the retainer wire 3 and the flexibility of the retainer wire should be selected to easily wrap the retainer wire around the hair segment 2 and such that once wrapped, the retainer wire tends to stay wrapped around the hair segment.

When the components of the Pony Tail Wrap A are assembled, but before the adhesive 4 dries, alternative preferred embodiments require the Pony Tail Wrap to be laid out flat for the glue to harden inside the retention opening of the retention pin 1. Placement of the Pony Tail Wrap A so that it is flat and stretched out as the adhesive dries can also promote reduced amounts of waviness or distortion of the hair segment 2.

In operation, the Pony Tail Wrap A is installed into a user's hair 10 (FIG. 2) by a process that first requires the user to generate a pony tail 11 using the hair of the user. This is accomplished when the user gathers the user's hair 10 together at the back of the user's head and then places the gathered hair through the opening of an elastic band 12. One of the retention pins 1 (FIG. 3) is inserted into the user's hair 10 such that the pin element 6 of the retention pin is generally positioned between the scalp of the user and the elastic band 11 that is holding the user's hair in a gathered manner. The Pony Tail Wrap A is then wound around the user's gathered hair by encircling the elastic band 11 with the hair segment 2 of the Pony Tail Wrap until the elastic band is substantially concealed by the hair segment and a small amount of hair segment remains unwound (FIG. 4). The Pony Tail Wrap A is wrapped around the elastic band 11 as many times as necessary, depending on the volume of the individual user's pony tail 11. It is understood that the small amount of hair segment 2 that is unwound will have a second retention pint 1 attached to the end of the unwound hair segment. Thus, the Pony Tail Wrap A is wrapped around and over the elastic band 11 until almost all of the hair 10 has been wrapped and only a short portion of the hair segment 2 and retention pin 1 remains (FIG. 5). The remaining retention pin 1 is then tucked into the hair 10 and secured between the elastic band 12 and the scalp of the user. The end result creates a neat, elegant ponytail that looks like the user's own hair.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the present invention has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above descriptions or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It will also be seen in the above disclosure that several of the intended purposes of the invention are achieved, and other advantageous results obtained. Additionally, in the preceding description, numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, methods, in order to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art that these specific details need not be employed, and should not be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure.

The disclosure herein is also not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described.

In the development of any actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints. Such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but is nevertheless a routine undertaking of design, fabrication and manufacture for those of ordinary skill. The scope of the invention should be determined by any appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

Terms such as “proximate,” “distal,” “upper,” “lower,” “inner,” “outer,” “inwardly,” “outwardly,” “exterior,” “interior,” and the like when used herein refer to positions of the respective elements as they are shown in the accompanying drawings, and the disclosure is not necessarily limited to such positions. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context.

When introducing elements or features and the exemplary embodiments, the articles “a,” “an,” “the” and “said” are intended to mean that there are one or more of such elements or features. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements or features other than those specifically noted. It is further to be understood that the method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected,” “coupled,” “engaged,” or “engageable” to and/or with another element, it can be directly connected, coupled, engaged, engageable to and/or with the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly connected,” “directly coupled,” “directly engaged,” or “directly engageable” to another element, there are no intervening elements present. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion (e.g., “between” versus “directly between,” “adjacent” versus “directly adjacent,” etc.). 

What is claimed is:
 1. A pony tail wrap comprising: a hair segment; a wire retainer for binding a proximal end and a distal end of the hair segment; and a retention pin into which one of either the proximal end or the distal end of the hair segment has been disposed wherein an adhesive is used to generally maintain the proximal end and the distal end of the hair segment within the retention pin.
 2. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 1 wherein the hair segment is made from one of either human hair, animal hair, or a synthetic material.
 3. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 2 wherein the hair segment has been conditioned to display a color that is one of either a shade of brown, a shade of black, an shade of red, or a shade of blond.
 4. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 3 wherein the retention pin further comprises a retention portion, a pin element, and a hair retention opening wherein one of either the proximal end or the distal end of the hair segment is disposed within the retention opening of the retention pin.
 5. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 4 wherein the retention pin has an overall length is about 44 mm.
 6. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 5 wherein the pin element of the retention pin has a length of between about 20 mm and about 40 mm.
 7. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 6 wherein the retention pin is constructed of an injection molded plastic material.
 8. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 7 wherein the hair segment is made from human hair and has an overall length of between about 15 inches and about 24 inches.
 9. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 7 wherein the hair segment is made from a synthetic material and has an overall length of between about 15 inches and about 24 inches.
 10. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 9 wherein the adhesive and the retainer wire are made from non-toxic materials.
 11. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 10 wherein the retainer wire is wound tightly around at least one of either the proximal end or the distal end of the hair segment and the retainer wire has a diameter that allows the retainer wire to be wrapped around the proximal or distal end ends of the hair segment to retain a set of strands in the hair segment to be compact enough to fit within the hair retention opening of the retention pin.
 12. A pony tail wrap comprising: a hair segment made from one of either human hair, animal hair, or a synthetic material, and has an overall length of between about 15 inches and about 24 inches; a wire retainer for binding a proximal end and a distal end of the hair segment; and two retention pins into which one of either the proximal end or the distal end of the hair segment has been disposed, wherein the an adhesive is used to generally maintain the proximal end and the distal end of the hair segment within the retention pins, wherein each retention pin comprises a retention portion, a pin element, and a hair retention opening, wherein one of either the proximal end or the distal end of the hair segment is disposed within the retention opening of each retention pin, wherein each retention pin has an overall length is about 44 mm, wherein the pin element of each retention pin has a length of between about 20 mm and about 40 mm, and wherein each retention pin is constructed of an injection molded plastic material.
 13. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 12 wherein the hair segment has been conditioned to display a color that is one of either a shade of brown, a shade of black, an shade of red, or a shade of blond.
 14. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 13 wherein the adhesive and the retainer wire are made from non-toxic materials.
 15. The pony tail wrap in accordance claim 14 wherein the retainer wire is wound tightly around at least one of either the proximal end or the distal end of the hair segment and the retainer wire has a diameter that allows the retainer wire to be wrapped around the proximal or distal end ends of the hair segment to retain a set of strands in the hair segment to be compact enough to fit within the hair retention opening of the retention pin.
 16. A process of installing a pony tail wrap comprising the steps of: assembling a pony tail wrap that comprises a hair segment, a wire retainer for binding a proximal end and a distal end of the hair segment, and a retention pin into which one of either the proximal end or the distal end of the hair segment has been disposed wherein the an adhesive is used to generally maintain the proximal end and the distal end of the hair segment within the retention pin; styling a user's hair into the general shape of a pony tail and binding the user's hair into the general shape of a pony by passing a portion of the user's hair through a hair binding device; inserting a retention pin of the pony tail wrap into the user's hair such that a pin element of the retention pin is generally positioned between a user's scalp and the hair binding device; wrapping the hair segment of the pony tail wrap around the user's hair by encircling the hair binding device with the hair segment of the Pony Tail Wrap until the hair binding device is substantially concealed by the hair segment while also having a small amount of hair segment that remains unwound; and tucking a retention pin into the user's hair to secure the retention pine between the user's scalp and the hair binding device. 